GRC Blog

Welcome to the GRC Recorders pages. This blog provides details on all the relevant news of Glamorgan’s scarcer birds, plus all BBRC & WRP decisions that affect us locally. It will also be used to document the status and occurrence of these scarcer species and we welcome contributions from anyone with photographs, artwork or documentation of rarities past, present and future. The GRC also welcomes all seawatching news from around Glamorgan and news of passage migrants in spring & autumn, uncommon birds in our area and unusual behaviour.

All visitors are welcome. You must first register by sending an email to GlamRC@gmail.com before you can contribute. An invite will be sent to your email address. Blog content will be strictly moderated. Access to pages and downloads are available to everyone. All photographs on this blog remain the property of the originator. If you would like to use photos, please arrange permission beforehand.

The Glamorgan Rarities Committee, in conjunction with the Glamorgan Bird Club & Gower Wildlife , have agreed to co-operate with the Welsh Ornithological Society in the sharing of bird records & photographs in the interest of keeping accurate records and to promote birdwatching in North, Mid & South Wales.

Saturday, 30 August 2014

There are now two Black-necked Grebes on Lisvane Res. The long-staying individual has been joined for a second time by another, this time a juvenile. This new bird has arrived during the night or earlier this am, as only the regular bird was present yesterday. [PB]

A couple of record shots from this evening with PB. This is the new BNG, which clearly shows the buffish wash to the ear-coverts and grey-buff to the neck. The dull eye and indistinct cap all suggest that this bird is a juvenile and not the moulting adult present for one day on the 26th Aug. This is now the third Black-necked Grebe to be present at Lisvane Res. in the past five days.

Also present yesterday were a Swift & Green Sandpiper. Today a Common Sandpiper is present.

A juvenile Little Ringed Plover around the assembled wader flock for high tide at Crymlyn Burrows, yesterday evening, was a nice surprise. Over the last few years I've seen decent numbers of this delightful wader along the river between the river mouth to Brunel Dock and on the saltmarsh upstream of the road bridges, but never before on the beach. They don't seem to mix in with other small waders very much, indeed more often than not yesterday's bird kept it's distance from the Ringed Plovers, Sanderlings and Dunlins. A couple of Ringed Plovers showed aggressive behaviour towards the LRP while I was watching it, perhaps showing why they prefer to disassociate from the main roost gatherings.

Little Ringed Plovers are a real favourite of mine and seeing this bird yesterday brought me a great deal of satisfaction. That said, I might have been even more pleased if this bird had been generally paler in plumage with darker and slightly longer legs.

There were good numbers in the roost yesterday with Ringed Plovers (267) and Sanderlings (319) making up the bulk of the numbers. Surprisingly few Dunlins, five Knots and a single Turnstone completes the beach count of smaller waders.

A couple of record shots by Paul Tabor of the Ruff at Kenfig Pool, yesterday morning, which had been found earlier by Neil Donaghy. Not an easy bird to see in Glamorgan with generally only low numbers turning up each year.

The Pool seems to be having a nice run of birds at the moment and probably a better bet for picking up some waders than the Kenfig Saltmarsh, which is full of water with little sign any muddy areas being exposed anytime soon.

The juvenile Little Tern was performing brilliantly this morning, at times plunge diving just metres away from where we stood.
Looking at the original of this photo, I think I can make out '29' on the leg ring code, so maybe this will help in finding out where it came from?

Thursday, 14 August 2014

Couple of pics of the juvenile Little Tern that turned up again at about 7.00pm this evening after flying off south this morning at 9.30am,it stayed for about 30 mins and after feeding at the northern lagoon disappeared again,I have a feeling it may be commuting between the pool and Eglwys Nunydd Resv'r.